Firooza Pavri

Characterizing Wetland Landscapes: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Remotely Sensed Data at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas

Generalized wetland landscape characterization efforts using remotely sensed satellite data have typically employed land-use and cover-classification routines with mixed results. This study argues that such classification routines are, at times, limited in their ability to capture the fluctuating spatial configuration of water and terrestrial features unique to wetland environments. Rather, we recommend the use of a multitemporal imaging approach, which records land-cover variability based directly on land-surface feature reflectivity signals. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper data and small-format aerial photography, this study monitors wetland change over a period of 15 yrs. at the internationally recognized Cheyenne Bottoms wetland site in central Kansas. Noticeable fluctuations in wetland cover resulting from both variable precipitation patterns and changing stewardship activities are observed. In addition to documenting generalized spatial trends, the multitemporal method effectively monitors plant vigor, while high spatial resolution small format aerial photography aids in monitoring cattail growth trends and is used to coordinate targeted management efforts at controlling this invasive plant. Our results suggest that multitemporal remote sensing methods are well suited to capturing qualitative information on change in wetland and other similar environments observing fuzzy and often shifting transitions between land and water.

Small-format aerial photography for assessing change in wetland vegetation, Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas

Abstract Cheyenne Bottoms is a Ramsar wetland site in central Kansas, where the Nature Conservancy (NC) has undertaken an effort since the mid-1990s to maintain and restore marsh and wet-meadow habitats for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl. Small-format aerial photography was conducted using kites and a helium blimp in order to document changing water and vegetation conditions during the years 2002–2005. Pictures were taken repeatedly throughout the growing seasons with various film and digital cameras from heights of 100–150 m. Invasive cattails (Typha sp.) are a major concern; the spread of cattail thickets during the 1990s reduced the open marshes on which migrating shorebirds depend for feeding. The NC adopted a strategy in which drought episodes are exploited for control of cattails. During our study, a drought cycle took place. Both color-visible and color-infrared images depict the impact of changing water level on cattails, which over the course of two years (2002 to 2004) were largely eliminated from the NC marshes. Dead cattail thickets were removed subsequently (mowing and burning), and these zones were restored into open marsh that supports beneficial emergent wetland vegetation—Scirpus, Eleocharis, Sagittaria, etc. Small-format aerial photography provided high-resolution, multi-view-angle imagery that depicts the consequences of NC management practices on marsh habitat conditions.

Institutional efficacy in resource management: temporally congruent embeddedness for forest systems of western India

Abstract Our understanding of the role of institutions and property-rights regimes in natural resource management has matured through the work of new institutional economists and common-property theorists. Even so, this literature has yet to establish clear connections between successful resource management, and a given property regime’s spatio-temporal fit. Examining people–forest interaction within a state-managed forest regime in India’s Western Ghats, this paper argues that regime efficacy in satisfying user needs, hinges on appropriately reflecting particular sociospatial contexts and incorporating temporal flexibility into its normative structure. To these ends, this study analyzes institutional structure regulating forest use and management, and examines data collected through extensive fieldwork, in-depth interviews and informal conversations with local villagers and foresters. The results suggest that user responses to access conditions, and their rationales for engaging in particular extraction practices, vary based on caste/class-based perceptions of regime legitimacy, distributional equity, and historical proprietorship rights. Furthermore, the analysis questions the viability of locally managed regimes under such heterogeneous social settings. Rather, this research recognizes the state’s vital role in mediating resource access. It suggests that regime efficacy can be fostered through state–civil society partnerships, widely distributed stakeholder-ship and firmly embedded regimes that adapt to changing sociospatial contexts through modifications to conditions of use and access. Based on the analysis, this paper explores an initial set of sociospatial and temporal parameters that promote institutional efficacy in management, and thus lays the groundwork for future studies in institutional and political ecology.

Wetland environments: A Global Perspective: Aber/Wetland environments: A Global Perspective

Wetland Environments A Global Perspective A complete study of wetland environments requires the assessment of their physical and biological attributes, properties and functions of these ecosystems, and the economic, political and social aspects that mediate their use globally. Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective | Wiley Wetlands swamp, marsh, bayou, tundra and bog are places that are rarely visited and often misunderstood but they have, in fact, conspicuous roles in the physical, biological and cultural geography of the world. They are intrinsically beautiful environments where one may see the natural and essential values in the interaction of water, soil, vegetation, wildlife, and humans. Wetland environments: A Global Perspective | Wiley Online ... A complete study of wetland environments requires the assessment of their physical and biological attributes, properties and functions of these ecosystems, and the economic, political and social aspects that mediate their use globally. Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective: Aber, James S ... Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective Kindle edition by Aber, James S., Pavri, Firooza, Aber, Susan. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective. Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective 1, Aber, James ... They are intrinsically beautiful environments where one may see the natural and essential values in the interaction of water, soil, vegetation, wildlife, and humans. Wetlands occur at the confluence of unique terrestrial, hydrological and climatic conditions that give rise to some of the most biodiverse regions of the world. Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective by James S ... Description. Wetlands swamp, marsh, bayou, tundra and bog are places that are rarely visited and often misunderstood but they have, in fact, conspicuous roles in the physical, biological and cultural geography of the world. They are intrinsically beautiful environments where one

Monitoring Forest Cover Trends in Northeastern Kansas through Historical and Multi-Temporal Satellite-Image Analysis

Abstract This study documents a management history for two forested sites at Fort Leavenworth military reservation in Leavenworth County of northeastern Kansas. Additionally, we monitor forest cover change in the study area through the application of a single-band, multi-date satellite image analysis method. We use existing land use records and information from key informants to reconstruct a history of forest use. Our examination reveals that while the past witnessed significant timber felling from these forests, more recent ‘benign neglect’ management approaches have contributed to a resurgence in the growth of woody species. To monitor more recent trends in forest cover change, we successfully employ a multi-date image analysis method using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data from 1987, 1992 and 1997. Furthermore, a cursory comparison between this technique and routine land use classifications reveals significantly more information on the direction of change and vegetation health from the multi-date method.

Integrating multispectral ASTER and LiDAR data to characterize coastal wetland landscapes in the northeastern United States

This study integrates data from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to map the spatial configuration of coastal wetland landscapes. We test data sources in their ability to capture marsh features and sources are combined to improve wetland characterizations. The complex ecosystem characteristics of the Wells Maine National Estuarine Research Reserve marshes and surrounding areas provide an ideal study site. The results of this study suggest that ASTER visible, near and shortwave infra red spectral bands combined with LiDAR last return signals provide accurate wetland cover maps categorized in broad cover classes. LiDAR contributions are important in areas of elevation and structure variability where multispectral data are unable to distinguish fine scale variations in vegetation and water signals. ASTERs cost effectiveness and spectral range offer a data-rich alternative to expensive high spatial resolution imagery typically used in multispectral and LiDAR combined studies.

Gender, migration and the organisation of work under economic devolution: Ecuador, 1982-90.

This study examined the impact of economic deficits due to structural adjustment processes on shifts in the organization of work by gender and migration status in Ecuador. Work is organized according to Lawsons social hierarchy scheme: ownership; authority and control over employees; autonomy in ones own work; and the nature and range of skills used in production. After a brief review of the related empirical literature, the author describes the concepts, categories of, and study area of work and then begins the empirical analysis. Data were obtained from 1,884,816 individual records of economically active persons in 1982 and 2,946,547 persons in 1990, from the censuses of 1982 and 1990 for the entire nation, and from fieldwork observations by Lawson. Structural adjustment policies (SAPs) associated with devolution tend to further aggravate inequities, especially among the disadvantaged. Findings are presented for male and female nonmigrants, migrants, and female migrants. During the 1980s, female migrants experienced primary economic activity, especially as self-employed, family, or low skilled employees; and declines in high skilled public sector employment and service activity, especially in wage labor. The economic impact was greater by gender than by migration status. The shifts only improved the relative position of women in self-employed and ownership jobs. Females lost public-sector employment to males; overall wage declines were more severe in the informal sector. Down-sizing in the public sector and shifts toward capital-intensive production marginalized female migrants. Fieldwork operationalizes losses among females/female migrants.

Urban Expansion and Sea-Level Rise Related Flood Vulnerability for Mumbai (Bombay), India Using Remotely Sensed Data

Rapid growth and expansion of the developing world’s urban areas has both social and biophysical consequences such as increased population density, inadequate infrastructure and services, the expansion of impermeable surfaces, and habitat fragmentation with a loss of green space. Data from NASA’s Landsat and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) programs are employed to examine urban patterns between 1973 and 2004 for the coastal mega-city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. By 2015 Mumbai is expected to be the world’s second largest city containing 22.6 million people with one of the highest population densities (UN Population Division 2006). This chapter considers the city’s ongoing and future vulnerability to flood hazards in the light of climate change models predicting an increased intensity of monsoonal storms, as well as a 0.38−0.59 m sea level rise by the end of the 21st century. Landsat MSS and ETM+ data are used to map change in urban patterns, while an unsupervised classification produces a land use map for the city and its environs. SRTM data are used to build an elevation model which is analyzed in conjunction with the land use map. Zones of vulnerability to floods are identified for the city and its environs. The results suggest that the predicted consequences of climate change will exacerbate the city’s ongoing vulnerability to flooding if urgent measures are not taken to improve storm water drainage systems and shore up other flood control defenses.

Institutional contexts, forest resources, and local communities in western India: a gendered analysis

In addition to ecosystem services, forests supply essential resources such as timber and non-timber forest products to rural populations who live nearby. These resources contribute vitally to household energy, materials, and various nutritional and medicinal requirements. In many parts of the developing world, women are assigned the task of acquiring these resources. Eco-feminism has used an essentialist position to explain the relation between forests and rural women. This paper, however, argues for the adoption of an institutional ecology approach to clarify patterns of interaction between rural communities and forests. Such an approach focuses on the role played by institutions, civil society, and individuals in environmental exchanges. Using field observations and data from western India, the paper examines the complex arrangement of interactions between rural populations and forest ecosystems, which is mediated by state institutions and long-standing socio-cultural norms and traditions. Data and field observations reveal considerable dependency on forest products in local villages. Patterns of society-forest interaction reflect local socio-cultural and political realities, and reveal the vulnerabilities faced by certain-more dependent and socio-economically marginal—communities, especially the adivasis.